Travelling once more....Covid test permitting!

I am prepping for a cruise. Well, 2 days around the Isle of Wight, but it’s feet off the UK's mainland for the first time since November 2020. Did I know when I boarded a flight from Portugal to relocate back to the UK that it would be 1 year and nearly 6 months before I left the country again? I hugged my friends goodbye in Portugal and told them I would be back by Easter to visit. Now it’s just lots of Zoom calls. It’s easy to settle. Easy to think that it’s all too much trouble. But as I start to get excited (yes, I know it’s only two days, but!!) start to plan my outfits, and decide I need at least one new one, I am also now adjusting to the new norm.

The norm of 'Fit to Fly Tests'. How, when, where? It’s all quite a palaver isn't it? Even had to check that I only needed an antigen test and not a full PCR. I automatically assumed that Celebrity (yes bragging rights to me, I am off on the new Celebrity Beyond) would at least demand the full gold standard, double check, triple check and don't pass go. But no, a straightforward certified antigen. It seems too easy. So now I am second guessing myself. I think we all are. And as we head off this spring and summer, which for many of my clients will be the first time since 2019 in many cases, it all seems a little strange. We read the news, the queues are horrendous, traffic a nightmare and all the stress of will I pass my Covid test (if needed) continues to add to the stress and weirdness of the last two years.

So this post isn’t my glamourous or exotic (far from it) one, but it is one that maybe will give you some thoughts on how to travel.

So, what can we do? Well breathe is my first port of call. To the best of my knowledge there are no people stuck in airports/seaports wandering around like Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Everyone got home safely and the suitcases arrived. So I suppose patience is required. No more winging it under the last check in time. 3 hours at least is my new rule. I have been known to fly through airports like a whirling dervish! Grab breakfast/lunch/dinner to-go in the airport. I will be prepared. Queues can be tiresome, children fractious and older family members unwell. I will talk to my fellow passengers as human beings; it amazes me when people stand in long queues and don’t start a conversation. Why not? Who knows who you may start talking to? I am also always amazed how it can pass the time. If someone is feeling unwell, don’t panic, but raise the alarm to staff. Whilst thin on the ground, I need to remind myself that they are also human and between everyone the situation will be coped with. The same applies to ferry or channel crossings. It’s never going to be easy right now. But I am going to resign myself to chaos or delays at the start and at the end in the hope it will actually help me with the acceptance of something that at the moment seems to be a hiccup of getting the world back on its feet and me back to travelling. Like anything in life, if we can stop, breathe, prepare, plan a bit more, then maybe (I only said maybe) the faff of getting into and out of a country will move along quicker. On a positive note, I know a number of people who have sailed through check-ins, passport control and had no issues. So unfortunately the luck of the draw is where we are at. My advice, if you sail through buy a lottery ticket! Your luck is obviously good.

A couple of key checks however. Passport rules have changed with Brexit. And it’s not the same all over the world. I advise all my clients on the exact rules for arriving in a country. You now need 6 months left on your passport from your ARRIVAL date. But places vary, so please double check.

If you need to provide proof of Covid vaccination for boarding/travelling/hotels etc you will need to make sure your NHS pass matches your passport name. I am hearing of refused boarding for non-compliance. Don’t give anyone a reason to stop your holiday if you can help it.

Keep focused on the prize. Wherever you are heading will be different from the sofa at home for the last 2 years, and if you are lucky enough to have travelled already, you have probably survived Covid PCR tests, masks and all kinds of different country rules to get your dose of *sun/snow/adventure (*delete accordingly!). It can’t get any worse again, can it?

So to a spring, summer, autumn and winter of travels, adventures, high-days and holidays. I hope your adventures are wonderful and give you what you want in life. I know mine will give me three days of eating and drinking with some fabulous colleagues and a great crew. Just to sleep with the sound of the sea and to only have to think of where to eat or drink next will be sheer luxury. I might even make it to the gym. Hmm. Watch this space.

Let’s see how I get on next week with my cruise boarding. If I am on the front pages of the Southampton newspapers on a murder charge, you will know I did not follow my own advice. Happy travelling everyone.